My Beard

This is a simple guide for those that want to grow and properly maintain a beard. A lot of men typically seem to avoid the basics and end up with a dry, brittle and poorly maintained beard. There's a bit more to basic trimming when it comes to making sure your hair and skin is healthy. So for anyone experiencing problems I suggest you give this post a simple read-through.

Products

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There's a lot of products out there that claim to improve the health of your beard but generally speaking there are only 3 that really matter. There's the beard oil, beard balm, and beard conditioner. These are arguably the 3 main products you should be using as to ensure you are making the most out of your genetics by keeping a clean and healthy beard.

Beard Oil is used to keep the skin beneath the facial hair healthy and should be used no matter how short your hair is. If you can pinch the hair on your skin then I suggest you start to rub beard oil into your beard at least twice a day. Once after a wash and once after a shower.

The amount of drops you should use depends on the size and porosity of your beard. Generally speaking if your beard is at least 2 inches in length, 3 to 4 drops will be necessary. In order to gauge how many drops you should use, feel your beard half-way through the day to see if it is dry. If it's dry, it means you aren't using enough oil. If you still have lots of oil on your hands, it means you're using too much.

Beard Balm is used to hydrate the actual hair of your beard. Keep in mind that beard wax and beard butter are not the same as beard balm. Balm is more of a cream in comparison to the other two. A dollop of balm on your finger should suffice for your beard, though obviously, if it's bigger than 2 inches I suggest using more. The same test I mentioned previously can be used to gauge if you're using the right amount.

Rub the balm into your palms and apply gently to the outside of your beard, shape the beard into the desired style you want. Balm has a light hold and will not keep your beard from changing shape through out the day. Balm is generally used for lazy days and for keeping the beard nourished. Think of it as a moisturizer but for your beard. If you have a business meeting or it's a particularly windy day, I suggest using beard wax. Beard wax is less nourishing for your beard but good for keeping a strong hold.

Beard conditioner cleans your beard. Do not use two-in-one beard shampoo and conditioners. Beard shampoos should be applied lightly through out the beard and not directly to the roots. Conditioner should be rubbed in well and to the roots. Do not use a general shampoo for head hair. Your beard hair and head hair are different and you may end up damaging the quality of your beard hair if you use a hair shampoo. Do this twice a weak when you have a shower.

Which brands should I buy? Look for products that are all-natural and cruelty free. You can also purchase Jojoba, Fractionated Coconut or Argan oil if you don't want to buy beard oil products. The brands I use are Bulldog and Seven Potions. There are plenty of options to choose from. Here is a tutorial on how to make your own Beard Oil, Dan C is generally a credible source to get your information from.

 

Grooming Items

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As such with products, there's a plethora of items to choose from but generally speaking these are the 3 main ones you should use and in this order;

1. Beard comb
2. Beard brush
3. Heated brush/blow dryer

-Beard combs are used to remove any knots and should be done at least twice a day. I rinse my beard with water and then run a beard comb through the sides, chin and shelf (underneath) of the beard. Combing your beard is essential and helps keep the hair healthy. Do not use a regular comb as the press lines can damage the hair. Besides, if your beard is thick then you won't be able to run a normal comb through it anyway. I bought a $3 wooden beard comb from eBay and it works fine.

-Beard brushes help style the beard and should be done after combing and applying beard oil. It helps move stubborn hairs to go into the direction you want them to.

-Heated brushes/blow dryers will remove any waves and dips from your beard. This should be done after your beard is dry. If you do it whilst it's wet it will burn the hair. This is great at keeping your beard "tight" and uniform. I do it once or twice a week. Should be done after applying beard oil. Dudes think this is gay and feminine but if you do it in the dark then no one will know, say no homo and make sure you're wearing socks. "Argon shields" are a con as beard oil achieves the same thing, so don't buy that. Don't worry about damaging your hair. Just make sure it's dry, has beard oil rubbed into it and you aren't leaving it in your hair for too long.

Some guys will use the heated brush for their head hair as well but I don't suggest this. You'd be rubbing the oils from your hair onto your beard if you do this.

 

The Step-by-step Process.

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1. Rinse your beard thoroughly with water.
2. Rub conditioner through out the beard, let it stay there for a couple of minutes then wash it out. Do this only twice a week.
3. Whilst it's wet, run a beard comb through it. Run the comb up the neck and shelf of the beard, then comb sides down. This trains the beard to grow in the right direction.
4. Let it air dry. Do not use towel or blow dryer.
5. Apply 3-4 drops of beard oil (depending on the size and propensity of your beard) into your palm and rub your hands together, then run your hands thoroughly through your beard. Let it sit there for a couple of minutes, ideally 5.
6. You can use a heated brush twice a week should you wish to tame the beard even more.
7. Use a bristle brush to evenly spread the oil through the beard. Ensuring to brush upwards from the neck and downwards on the sides.
8. Apply beard balm, use a dollop, rub in palm and apply gently on the sides and shelf of the beard. Moving it into the style you want.
9. If you want to use wax, run your thumb into the wax and then rub into palms, then apply it throughout your beard. Moving it into the style you want. You can use a bristle brush to style it in the direction again after wax has been applied.

That's it, you're done. Now you can go about your day. Steps should be repeated up to step 5 for night time. Beard butter can also be used for night.

 

Trimming/Styling.

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There's no definitive guide for trimming or styling as it ultimately comes down to the style you want. Some dudes just don't trim at all and that's cool too. However a general guide I suggest using which covers the main areas is Dan C's Beard Trimming Tutorial.

I suggest searching for different styles you're interested in. Make sure the styles you are going for match your beard type.

𝔖𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔟𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔡 𝔦𝔰 𝔞 𝔰𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔟𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔡 𝔬𝔣 𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔶𝔯𝔰 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔴𝔞𝔰𝔥 𝔞𝔴𝔞𝔶. ℑ𝔱 𝔴𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔪𝔢𝔞𝔫 𝔟𝔩𝔢𝔪𝔦𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔦𝔪𝔞𝔤𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔪𝔞𝔫 𝔞𝔰 𝔊𝔬𝔡 𝔠𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔥𝔦𝔪.